Mary Henderson
"My work deals with themes of social class, interpersonal connections, group identity and the public/private self. I am especially interested the ways individuals and groups attempt to construct or live up to idealized personae or experiences, and how those efforts fall short of expectations. Inspired by my own personal and family history – as well as by broader social phenomena – the paintings frequently depict their subjects at unguarded moments of vulnerability, reflection or preoccupation."
Mary Henderson lives and works in Philadelphia, PA. She received her BA in fine arts from Amherst College in Amherst, MA, and her MFA in painting from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. Her upcoming exhibitions include the group exhibition "Observation / Reference / Gesture” at Willis Smith Gallery, Ringling College of Art & Design (Sarasota, FL), and a solo show at Lyons Wier Gallery (New York, NY) in spring of 2017. Recent group shows include the Woodmere Art Museum (Philadelphia, PA), the BYU Museum of Art (Provo, UT) and the Brattleboro Museum (Brattleboro, VT). Her work has been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Harper's Magazine, New American Paintings and Art in America, among other publications. She is a member of the artist-run gallery Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Philadelphia, PA) and has been represented by Lyons Wier Gallery since 2006. She teaches painting and drawing at St. Joseph’s University (Philadelphia, PA).
